Interested in Marriage
by chocoluvr
Summary: Leah is tired of being the only woman in her village who isn't married. When a young man named Jacob asks her father for her sister's Rachel's hand in marriage she comes up with a plan to finally get married so that she will not have to live off charity.


When Leah saw her father with Jacob she knew that he was asking for her father's permission to marry her sister Rachel since she noticed the

way that he looked at her. She had already seen all of her other friends marry and start their families now she had to be embarrassed in order to

see her younger sister get married while she would probably have to live with the two of them plus what ever children that they may have off their

charity as the old maid aunt. Maybe she can convince her father to give her in marriage to Jacob instead of Rachel since it would be better to live

with him as his wife instead of on his charity. She also couldn't wait to start her own family and have her own children instead of seeing those that

she had grown up with having their own children and husbands. Rachel was pretty enough and even had other guys who was interested in her so

she might be able to persuade her father to allow her to marry this Jacob fellow instead of her sister which would give her a husband and family

without having to endure the pitying look that she receives from others. She also didn't want to live on other people's charity when she got older

that she wanted a family of her own. She didn't know if this Jacob guy had spent any time with Rachel to get to know her or if he just thought that

she was pretty and he wanted to take her as his wife. Since according to their wedding traditions the bride was to be covered from head to toe

where even the groom didn't even see his bride until after they were officially married, she could take Rachel's place and marry this Jacob fellow

instead so that she can have her own family instead of watching the girls that she had grown up with starting their own families. There was plenty

of time for Rachel to get married and have her own family since there were other men in the village who were interested in Rachel but not Leah,

thinking that she was too old for marriage and children. Besides Leah knew that she wasn't as pretty as the other girls in her village whom the

men had wanted to marry. She hated to deceive the young man and her sister but she felt like she had to do so in order to prevent from being an

old maid and living off her family's charity. She immediately went to her father asking him if she could marry Jacob instead of Rachel and tell Rachel

that Jacob had asked for Leah's hand in marriage instead of Rachel's. Her father gave his permission for the switch and deceit of Jacob since he

would get Leah off his hands and there would be another guy who would be interested in Rachel. Her father realized that there would probably be

no more opportunities for Leah to marry at her age since the other girls her age are already married with children by now and even the unmarried

men her own age are interested in the younger girls. At this point in her life she was wanting to get married and start her own family she didn't

care if she had tricked this Jacob fellow into marrying her instead of her sister, Rachel. She only cared about being married and not being looked at

with pity as the old maid sister who had to live off her sister's husband's charity. Maybe she can get Jacob to forget about his desire to marry

Rachel and to love her instead. If he loved her sister he can learn to love her instead. Leah was excited about the thought and eagerly got ready

for her own wedding the next day after years of watching her friends get married it was finally her turn though she didn't care how she had gotten

married but that she was finally getting married. She was excited about her upcoming wedding even though she was nervous about how Jacob

would react when he did discover that he did marry her and not her sister. She worried that he will not throw her out when he did discover both

her and her father's deception. She hoped that he wouldn't want to sleep with her anymore so that she wouldn't have any additional chances to

have children, she had heard of the horror stories of wives who had fallen in disfavor with their husbands that they refused to even sleep with

them to give them more children. Jacob seemed to be a reasonable guy though who would not do such a thing to her. Leah was hurt when she

saw the expression on Rachel's fact when their father had told her that Jacob had wanted to marry Leah instead of her though she did get over it

when she thought about how she was finally going to have her own family. Rachel would get over this disappointment and marry another man

who was interested in her, Leah didn't have any other marriage prospects. Rachel didn't even go to Leah's own wedding and didn't even want a

part of it since she was still disappointed that Jacob had chosen Leah over her. So she had told her family that she didn't feel well and stayed in

her room during the entire wedding ceremony. Rachel's absence didn't bother Leah since she was finally going to have the husband and

eventually children that she had always wanted. She was reassured by the fact that she was no longer going to be an old maid depending on the

charity of family members to survive. She only hoped that she will be blessed with sons that she can present to Jacob as his heirs that can inherit

and support her in her old age plus help him to forget about his sister, Rachel. She was nervous when she went into their wedding tent making

sure that she left her veil on so that Jacob wouldn't discover her deception until after she had lain with him as his wife. The next morning when

Leah had gotten up she had taken off her veil revealing her true identity to her husband. She was hurt when Jacob showed his disappointment

that he was given Leah in marriage instead of Rachel. She worried that Jacob would leave her when he left that morning and hardly had looked at

her when he left. She only hoped that her father would convince him to stay even if Jacob made plans to take Rachel as his wife as well. This

wasn't the way that she had always pictured her own wedding to be but she had to take matters into her own hands if she didn't want to wind up

an old maid and be forced to live on her family's charity for the rest of her life. She only hoped that her father can convince Jacob to keep his

marriage promise to her and not leave her in disgrace. She did hope that she was pregnant from her wedding night which would hopefully would

keep Jacob with her plus at least if he didn't want to lay with her again she would have a child that can carry on Jacob's family line. If she had a

child she didn't care if she was just another wife to Jacob even though he was disappointed that he wasn't in love with his first wife like most men

were. Though at her age it would be too much to want her husband to love her and not want to take another younger wife later on since that was

the custom of their village. When Jacob returned to the wedding tent Leah was relieved that he wasn't going to embarrass her in front of their

friends and neighbors by deserting during the wedding ceremony causing her to more of an outcast rather than just an old maid living off the

charity of her family.

"Your father agreed to let me work seven more years for your sister Rachel if I agree to finish out the wedding week. We will still live as husband

and wife though after seven years I will also take Rachel to be my second wife," Jacob had reassured Leah though she wasn't too reassured of

her husband wanting to take a second wife too soon after the wedding.

Most men waited a few years in order to marry another wife instead of looking for their next wife during the wedding week. At least getting

married seven years after her own wedding wouldn't look like Jacob was satisfied with Leah as a wife and she will have a chance to make him fall

in love with her. Leah only smiled at his plan since no one else would have to know that he was going to work for her father for another seven

years in order to marry Rachel, her sister. She thought that she would be happy once she was married and not having to rely on anyone's charity

but she still felt miserable about the way that she had gotten her husband even though no one in the village will show pity on her for being an old

maid now. Besides there were others in her village who had married for reasons other than love. She wasn't the only one disappointed in the

marriage since Jacob didn't seem to come from a wealthy background since he had to work for her father in order to marry instead of paying her

father a substantial dowry. She thought that once she had married that her feelings of being alone would go away since she now had a husband.


End file.
